Ducati Sporting Club UK > News Items > Ducati Press Releases > Bautista leads the way on Friday at Assen marked by changeable weather conditions. Bulega finishes sixth. Solid front row for Huertas in WorldSSP

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World Superbike | 2024 | R3 | Assen (Netherlands) | Friday 19 April 2024

Bautista leads the way on Friday at Assen marked by changeable weather conditions. Bulega finishes sixth. Solid front row for Huertas in WorldSSP

Mixed weather conditions complicated Friday's free practice for the Pirelli Dutch Round. First, in FP1 the riders were forced to wait a long time in the pits to enter the track in dry conditions, then in FP2 the opposite situation occurred with rain starting to fall in the middle of the session.

Alvaro Bautista made the most of the first part of the FP2, finishing with the fastest lap time of the day despite a strong wind that did not make life easy for the Spanish rider, especially on the straight.
Nicolò Bulega was back on his Ducati Panigale V4R after the arm surgery he underwent two weeks ago and the feelings were immediately positive. In FP2 the Italian rider also had the chance to ride on wet tyres for the first time in a WorldSBK session.

P1 - Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
" It was a very complicated day because of the weather conditions and the heavy rain limited the grip on the track. It was also not easy to ride with the strong wind. But in the end, we have to adapt because these are situations that all riders have to face. However, I am satisfied because, despite these difficulties, the feeling with the bike was good. Hopefully, the weather will be more consistent tomorrow."

P6 - Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #11)
"My first objective was to understand what the condition of my arm was after the surgery and from the very first laps I was happy with the feeling I had. I am still not 100 percent but that is not a big problem. For the first time, I rode the Panigale V4R in very special conditions, which helped me gain some experience."

WorldSSP

Adrian Huertas and the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team had the merit of choosing the best moment to enter the track on slick tyres before the rain started to fall halfway through Superpole session. The Spanish rider will start tomorrow from the front row (P3).

P3 - Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #99)
"I am delighted with this qualifying because the weather conditions were unpredictable. We made the right choice and for that, I thank the team who adopted the best strategy. It is clear that I hope to have a dry race tomorrow but I feel I can be competitive in all conditions."